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11 May 2004 : Column 262W—continued
Child Obesity
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the levels of obesity among children of school age; what steps he is taking to encourage exercise and healthy eating among school children; and if he will make a statement. [171985]
Angela Smith: Independent research carried out in 1996 reported that 16 per cent. of 13 and 14-year-olds were overweight. This figure included 3.5 per cent. of boys and 2 per cent. of girls, classified as obese. Additional research on levels of overweight and obesity in children in Northern Ireland is likely to become available in the near future.
A task force is being established under the auspices of the Ministerial Group on Public Health to consider and
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evaluate options for tackling obesity in children and young people in Northern Ireland. The task force is expected to make recommendations on how levels of obesity in children should be assessed in future.
Some £500,000 has been made available in 2004–05 for the promotion of physical activity and a new physical activity strategy and action plan will be issued for public consultation before the summer. The Department is also encouraging a healthy diet among school children through programmes such as the pilot, Fresh Fruit in Schools initiative. In addition, the Department of Education has recently launched a 12-month pilot scheme to improve the nutritional standard of school meals.
Community Pharmacies
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the Community Pharmacy Medicines Management Initiative. [171794]
Angela Smith: Training has been provided to enable 40 per cent. of pharmacies to deliver the service and this will be progressively extended. My Department will continue to work with key stakeholders to extend and consolidate the existing scheme to build further collaboration across the primary care team and the secondary care sector. In addition, the Department is working to develop a referral scheme to formalise patient referral from care providers to the community pharmacist for medicines management advice and guidance services.
The roll-out of the service has been managed at Board level through provision of training and on-going encouragement. Linked to this, Boards are planning to put in place a number of facilitators to support practitioners to take on this new role. A regional facilitator will be appointed to establish a cohesive network with Board personnel to support further uptake of the scheme.
Emergency Admissions (Ulster Hospital)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what conclusions have been drawn from the Improving the Flow of Emergency Admissions project conducted at the Ulster Hospital; and if he will make a statement. [171755]
Angela Smith: The Eastern Health and Social Services Board initiated the Improving the Flow of Emergency Admissions project at the Ulster Hospital in January 2003. The project involves a systematic analysis of patient flows into and through the hospital, in order to identify critical bottlenecks in the system. It is a long-term project and work at the hospital is still on-going. Analysis of systems and processes has identified new ways of working and highlighted shortfalls in resources, which the Trust and the Eastern Board are working to address.
The results of this project to date, along with the outcomes of similar projects elsewhere in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain, are being considered by the Department and will be the subject of discussions to be held at a regional workshop later this month. This workshop will aim to identify key principles learned
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from the project at the Ulster Hospital and elsewhere that can be applied more widely. These will be incorporated into a regional initiative to improve the flow of emergency admissions.
Football
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what Government assistance has been provided for the Irish Football Association's (a) Give Bigotry the Red Card and (b) Football for All campaigns. [170243]
Angela Smith: Funding totalling £165,500 has been provided by the Northern Ireland Community Relations Council for the Football for All project which includes Give Bigotry the Red Card. This consists mainly of an award of £159,500 made under the EU Peace II Programme, which covers the period from 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2005.
Lupus
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to assist sufferers of lupus; and if he will make a statement. [171753]
Angela Smith: Rheumatologists throughout Northern Ireland manage patients with lupus, with input from other specialists as required. The management of any individual patient with lupus depends on the type of lupus, the nature of their disease and its severity. Specific services for lupus patients include a lupus clinic run by rheumatologists in Belfast, and management in a day ward for patients who require it. Lupus is also an area where there is significant research activity and clinicians working in this area have recently received funding from the Wellcome Foundation.
Motor Cycling
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether motorcycle road racing clubs in Northern Ireland can avail themselves of the Safe Sports Grounds fund for essential work at road racing circuits. [170250]
Angela Smith:
Motorcycle road racing clubs cannot avail themselves of funding from the Sports Council Safe Sports Grounds fund for essential work at road racing circuits as the Safe Sports Grounds Interim Scheme ended in March 2003. However, approximately £175,000 has been provided, via the Sports Council for Northern Ireland, over the past three years for essential safety work at road racing circuits. Moreover, motor sports clubs may be able to avail of funding for essential works from monies provided by the Sports Council to the two and four Wheel Motor Sport Steering Group Ltd., the umbrella group of motor sports governing bodies, for the development of motor sport as a whole in Northern Ireland.
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Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
Mr. Dodds:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland who has (a) been appointed, (b) been dismissed, (c) resigned and (d) withdrawn from the
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Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission since its formation; and how much remuneration has been received in each case. [168169]
Mr. Spellar: The information is as follows:
| £ | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name of commissioner | Date appointed | Current remuneration per annum | Remuneration on starting per annum | Total remuneration |
| Professor Brice Dickson | 1 March 1999 | 66,854 | 55,000 | 302,937 |
| Professor Christine Bell | 1 March 1999 | (13)— | 8,000 | 28,832 |
| Margaret-Ann Dinsmore QC | 1 March 1999 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 44,666 |
| Tom Donnelly | 1 March 1999 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 44,666 |
| Reverend Harold Good QBE | 1 March 1999 | (14)— | 8,000 | 42,999 |
| Professor Tom Hadden | 1 March 1999 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 44,666 |
| Angela Hegarty | 1 March 1999 | (13)— | 8,000 | 14,666 |
| Patricia Kelly | 1 March 1999 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 44,666 |
| Doctor Inez McCormack | 1 March 1999 | (13)— | 8,000 | 28,832 |
| Frank McGuinness | 1 March 1999 | (14)— | 8,000 | 42,999 |
| Lady Christine Eames | 1 December 2001 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 22,000 |
| Doctor Christopher McGimpsey | 1 December 2001 | (13)— | 8,000 | 18,666 |
| Kevin McLaughlin | 1 December 2001 | 10,000 | 8,000 | 22,000 |
| Patrick Yu | 1 December 2001 | (13)— | 8,000 | 15,333 |
(13) Resigned.
(14) Term ended 29 February 2004.
| Name of Commissioner | Date resigned |
|---|---|
| Angela Hegarty | 1 December 2000 |
| Professor Christine Bell | 9 September 2002 |
| Doctor Inez McCormack | 9 September 2002 |
| Patrick Yu | 7 July 2003 |
| Doctor Christopher McGimpsey | 3 November 2003 |
| Name of Commissioner | Remuneration per annum (£) |
|---|---|
| Paddy Kelly | 10,000 |
| Frank McGuinness | (15)— |
(15) Term ended 28 April 2004.
Note:
The Commissioner's salaries were raised from £8,000 to £10,000 from 1 April 2002.
Brice Dickson's increments are as follows:
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1999(16) | 55,000 |
| 2000(17) | 57,475 |
| 2001(17) | 60,004 |
| 2002(17) | 63,604 |
| 2003(17) | 66,854 |
(16)Starting salary.
(17)From April.
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